Vinesh Phogat Faces First Doping Test Miss Notification from ITA
Vinesh Phogat's Doping Test Notification
Wrestler Vinesh Phogat has received a notification from the International Testing Agency (ITA) regarding a missed out-of-competition doping test that occurred on December 18, 2025. This incident marks her first whereabouts failure in the past year. In a letter dated May 4, 2026, the ITA confirmed that the missed test has been officially recorded after reviewing her explanation submitted on January 19, 2026. This notice follows an earlier communication from January 5, 2026, which highlighted the missed test and requested her response.
While this notification does not constitute an anti-doping violation, it serves as a warning under the whereabouts clause, which mandates that athletes remain accessible for surprise testing at all times. According to regulations set by United World Wrestling (UWW) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), accumulating three missed tests or filing failures within a year can lead to an anti-doping rule violation, potentially resulting in a suspension of up to two years.
The ITA indicated that the missed test occurred when a Doping Control Officer (DCO) was unable to locate Vinesh during her designated 60-minute testing window. Athletes in the Registered Testing Pool (RTP) are required to provide a daily one-hour time frame between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. for no-notice testing.
On the day of the missed test, Vinesh was attending the first winter session of the Haryana Assembly, having traveled from Bengaluru to Chandigarh, which disrupted her usual routine. The ITA acknowledged her recent personal responsibilities, including the birth of her child. During the testing attempt, Vinesh reportedly cooperated and informed the DCO of her presence in Chandigarh for meetings.
However, the ITA concluded that she did not update her whereabouts information promptly despite her schedule change. The agency emphasized that athletes must revise their filings "as soon as possible" after any changes, and certainly before the specified 60-minute window. It was noted that Vinesh did not utilize alternative methods such as SMS, email, or a mobile application to update her location on or before December 18.
The ITA stated, "In light of the above, the ITA finds that you were unable to establish that no negligent behaviour on your part caused or contributed to your failure," leading to the recording of the missed test. This incident marks Vinesh's first recorded whereabouts failure within a 12-month timeframe. She has been granted seven days from the date of the letter—May 4—to request an administrative review if she believes the missed test was not due to negligence. If she does not take action, the decision will be finalized.
This development follows Vinesh's announcement of her return to competitive wrestling in December 2025 after her retirement post the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she was disqualified from the women's 50kg final due to being overweight. She has since re-registered in the RTP, which is designated for elite athletes subject to rigorous out-of-competition testing. Vinesh's upcoming tournament is the National Open Ranking event in Gonda, where she has expressed concerns about potential bias against her by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). WFI President Sanjay Singh has assured her of a safe and fair competition environment. The ITA oversees the anti-doping program for the Olympic Games and numerous major global sporting events, managing the anti-doping efforts for around 50 international sports federations.